Georgia will gradually move to a fully professional army, abandoning conscription system, Defense Minister Irakli Alasania said in an interview with the Georgian weekly newspaper Kviris Palitra published on January 7.

“We plan to move fully on professional army in four years. The term of compulsory military service will be gradually reduced [from current 15 months] to 12 months, and then we will fully move to a contract-based army,” said Alasania, who is also the first deputy PM.

“We should not be forcing anyone to be enrolled in the army,” he said, adding that only professionals with relevant education should be serving in the army.

Georgia has now mixed system based on both contracts and conscription.

Term of compulsory military service was last time changed in early 2012 when it was increased from 12 to 15 months.